First American confirmed to have MERS

The first case of an American infected with a mysterious Middle East virus was confirmed Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The man fell ill after arriving in the United States last week from Saudi Arabia, where he was a health care worker. The man is hospitalized in stable condition in Indiana with Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, the CDC said. The virus is not highly contagious and this case "represents a very low risk to the broader, general public," the CDC's Dr. Anne Schuchat said. In Saudi Arabia 400 people have had the illness and more than 100 have died. MERS belongs to the family that includes the common cold and SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, which killed 800 people globally in 2003.

Report: 'David' at risk of collapse

Michelangelo's famous statue of the biblical figure David is at risk of collapse due to the weakening of the artwork's legs and ankles, according to a report published this week by art experts. The findings, which were made public by Italy's National Research Council, show micro-fractures in the ankle and leg areas. The David statue dates from the early 16th century and is housed in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence. The results of the report were published in the Journal of Cultural Heritage, a publication devoted to research into the conservation of culturally significant works of art and buildings. Media reports say experts want to move the sculpture to an area outside of the city or to an earthquake-proof room to minimize the risk of a collapse.